Archive: Benning

U.S. servicemembers have long been eligible to receive the Purple Heart Medal for the signature wounds of the current wars -- mild traumatic brain injuries and concussions -- but now there is more clarity on how medical criteria for the award are applied, Defense Department officials said yesterday.

The Senate Military Family Caucus co-chairs, Senator Barbara Boxer and Senator Richard Burr, signed a letter recognizing April as Month of the Military Child. In the letter, the two senators thank the children of U.S servicemembers for their "strength, courage and optimism."

In Cai Lay, Vietnam, Nov. 18, 1967, a young Soldier helped rescue his injured comrades by swimming across a river on an air mattress despite having a broken back, three broken ribs, shrapnel wounds, a gunshot wound and not being able to swim.

The "Power Sources Feedback" user group is designed so that Warfighters can share frank observations and recommendations directly with CERDEC Army Power engineers as they prepare to host the Joint Services Power Expo, May 2-5, 2011, at the Myrtle Beach, S.C., Convention Center.

<b>What is it' </b>
Since 1980, the U.S. Army has assessed a Soldier's physical ability through the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). Commonly known as the "PT Test," Soldiers are required to complete three events; two-minutes of pushups, two-minutes of sit-ups, and a two-mile run.
Together, these events lack the ability to adequately measure components of muscular strength, endurance, or mobility needed for success on today's battlefield.

The Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, made his first visit to Iraq since being sworn in on April 11. The general met with more than 70 service members in the Al Faw Palace on Camp Victory, April 20.

During World War II, the U.S. government adopted the slogan "loose lips might sink ships" to warn people to be careful when talking in public. Almost 70 years later, the same slogan could be used in relation to today's tweets, posts and published photos in the online world of social media.

For Brea Harper, getting to travel to Coors Field in Denver to play on the field with cadets from the U.S. Air Force Academy, seeing the Rockies' clubhouse and watching Jessica Simpson perform for military Families paled in comparison to meeting her hero: Michelle Obama.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - Roughly 800,000 children in the U.S. are reported missing each year, according to The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Of that number, an estimated 450,000 run away, 200,000 are abducted by family members and 115 are kidnapped by strangers with the intention of killing them, holding them for ransom or keeping them permanently.

Christopher McNally received his orders April 6, to report to Fort Benning, Ga. Like others before him, his first stop on post was the 30th Adjutant General Battalion (Reception). Unlike the others, McNally is 16 and has been battling osteosarcoma for a year.

Fort Benning, Ga., is the first military installation to acquire the Flex Powerstation, which will be tested at Fort Benning this summer to see if it can successfully generate cost-effective electricity.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - The Army's best bomb-disposal unit calls Fort Benning home.
The 789th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company outperformed detachments from Fort Stewart, Ga., and Fort Bragg, N.C., to capture first place in a competition March 28-30 at Fort Campbell, Ky. Because of the high operations tempo since 9/11, it marked the first Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team of the Year event since 2001.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - The Best Ranger Competition teams traveled more than 60 miles by foot leading up to Sunday's Darby Queen Obstacle Course, said Ranger Training Brigade's event officer in charge, Capt. Joshua Ollek, more mileage at this point than in previous years.

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III was at Fort Benning, Ga., for the 28th annual Best Ranger Competition, but also took part in a working lunch with 10 drill sergeants at the Kouma Dining Facility on Harmony Church.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - A tornado touched down about a mile away from the Ranger Training Brigade compound in Harmony Church early Saturday morning, which forced organizers to delay the start of the night orienteering course at the David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - Officials have a message for post residents: Dryers could do more than simply take the dampness out of your clothes if they're not maintained properly. Three small dryer fires, including one at Smith Fitness Center, have broken out at Fort Benning in the last few months, said Steven Lowell, the installation's assistant chief of fire prevention.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - William Boyd said he rarely misses the Best Ranger Competition - even if it means not telling relatives about his weekend travel plans.
The 87-year-old former Soldier who trained at Fort Benning in the early 1940s and participated in D-Day was back on Harmony Church for this year's installment. He began attending BRC in the late 1990s and drives up to Columbus every year from his home in Sun City, Fla.

Regardless of where they're fighting, operating or training, Soldiers require supplies to accomplish their mission. The Supply Excellence Award recognizes those who keep the Army moving by providing superior supply operations for the active Army, National Guard and Reserve components.
The SEA program started in 1986 to highlight the critical role sustainers play in supporting the warfighter. The purpose is to increase the logistical readiness of all Army units; enforce the Command Supply Discipline Program; encourage the use of available resources; and provide a structure for recognition of group and individual initiatives.

If you have questions about this Army journey, mark your calendars to participate in the Ask a Drill Sergeant discussion on Fort Benning's Facebook Fan Page from 6-8:30 p.m. April 21. Drill Sergeant's (also called Cadre) from two training units at Fort Benning - the 192nd and 198th Infantry Brigades - will answer questions.

The "super team" of Sgt. Maj. Walter Zajkowski and Master Sgt. Eric Turk are the winners of the 2011 Best Ranger Competition. At an awards ceremony today at Freedom Hall, Secretary of the Army John McHugh congratulated the teams on their accomplishment.

For the second year in a row, Master Sgt. Eric Turk has taken the title of Best Ranger, along with his partner Sgt. Maj. Walter Zajkowski, also a previous winner. Zajkowski claimed the top spot in 2007 with his then-teammate Maj. Liam Collins. The competition has only been won by the same Soldier in two consecutive years once before.

The device known as a Joint Battle Command-Platform, or JBC-P Handheld, is the first developed under an Army effort to devise an Android-based smartphone framework and suite of applications for tactical operations.

With more than 100,000 systems in the field and a lifesaving track record in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Army's friendly force tracking and messaging software is preparing for the future with a new version that is faster, more versatile and better connected to the Marine Corps.
Next up: a tryout with Soldiers as part of the Army's unprecedented combined test and evaluation at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. in June.
The Limited User Test for the new version of Force XXI Battle Command Brigade-and-Below/Blue Force Tracking (FBCB2/BFT), called Joint Capabilities Release (JCR), will support a decision on wider fielding of the capability - which thus far has been fielded to several brigades inside the United States. The LUT also marks a step toward a broader plan to move to the next-generation FBCB2/BFT technology for tactical aircraft, vehicles and dismounted forces, called Joint Battle Command-Platform (JBC-P).
JCR is one of several programs of record undergoing simultaneous testing with the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division during the six-week event, known as the Network Integration Evaluation (NIE). Several other systems that are not part of the formal tests are also participating, including applications that provide Warfighters with fires planning, protection from rocket and mortar attacks and efficient energy sources.

Teams picked up the pace overnight leading into the final day of the David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition. Injuries eliminated three teams and narrowed the field to 31 following a 12-mile road march and night orienteering course

Thirty-four teams continued on to day 2 of the 28th Annual Best Ranger Competition on Todd Field at Fort Benning, Ga. Day 2 consists of Ranger Day Stakes, which use skills every Ranger should know, including shooting, first aid, climbing and rappeling. The events are executed round-robin style as Ranger teams rotate from one event to the next. At the conclusion of the Day Stakes events, teams begin a foot march of more than 12 miles.

Soldiers competing in the 2011 Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning, Ga., spent day two of competition completing several Rangering tasks including a mystery event. At the end of day two, only 33 out of 50 teams remained. The Best Ranger Competition is an ultimate test of fitness, endurance and grit for the Army's most elite Soldiers and includes three days of events such as running, ruck marching, swimming, completing obstacle courses, airborne drops, land navigation, and displaying weapons proficiency with little planned rest time.

Action resumed Saturday morning at the David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition - after a tumultuous night of thunderstorms rocked the local area.
Ironically, the weather left the field more intact than in previous years at this stage as officials were forced to delay the start of the night orienteering course, a grueling 10-mile trek that wreaks havoc on competitors.

Fifty teams kicked off the 28th annual Best Ranger Competition with a three-mile buddy run before dawn today. The teams head into a foot movement and canoe race to round out the morning. Events are scheduled around the clock, with teams moving to the firing ranges in the afternoon to conduct machine gun and moving target events before heading out for day orienteering, fast-rope insertion and their first obstacle course. The day ends with teams navigating an approximately ten mile night orienteering course well into the early hours of Day 2.
"It's the greatest thing in the Army ... I look forward to it each year," said retired Col. Ralph Puckett, a former Ranger and two-time Distinguished Service Cross recipient who will be on the sidelines throughout most of the competition. "When you come out to Benning, you walk with giants. They're not rock stars, they're not sports heroes, they're not actors playing Soldiers. They're the real deal."

Held at Fort Benning, Ga., the Best Ranger Competition is an ultimate test of fitness, endurance and grit for the Army's most elite Soldiers. Fifty two-man teams will compete for the title of "Best Ranger" by running, ruck marching, swimming, completing obstacle courses, airborne drops, land navigation, and displaying weapons proficiency in a three-day marathon-style competition without sleep.

Fifty teams kicked off the 28th annual Best Ranger Competition with a three-mile buddy run before dawn today. The teams head into a foot movement and canoe race to round out the morning. Events are scheduled around the clock, with teams moving to the firing ranges in the afternoon to conduct machine gun and moving target events before heading out for day orienteering, fast-rope insertion and their first obstacle course. The day ends with teams navigating an approximately ten mile night orienteering course well into the early hours of Day 2.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - The Army must define a future strategy to deal with hybrid threats that operate along increasingly intricate networks in a "realm of uncertainty" on the battlefield, officials said last week at the 2011 Reconnaissance Summit.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - The 2011 Airborne Awards Festival's Fort Benning stop was highlighted by the dedication of a new $112,000 monument Friday on Eubanks Field. The Airborne Battle Memorial commemorates every major parachute and glider combat assault carried out by U.S. paratroopers and glidermen, from Operation Torch in 1942 during World War II to Operation Northern Delay eight years ago in Iraq.

A Family member shares her feelings about being a military child in a commentary that outlines how much being a military brat has given her so much. It gave her the opportunity to live and experience other cultures, and taught her to make friends quickly and to say goodbye. It has taught her independence right from wrong.

Recruiting Command's grassroots outreach program -- launched in 2007 with one community advisory board in Dallas/Fort Worth -- now includes more than 40 active boards across the country. One of the fundamental goals: Get America involved in recruiting its Army.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - The Survivor Outreach Services center opened its doors March 22 when Maj. Gen. Robert Brown, Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning commanding general, and Andrea Jones and Sue Peney, family members of fallen Soldiers, cut the ribbon during the opening ceremony.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - The retired general who served as the nation's 32nd Army chief of staff added his endorsement to the Armor-Infantry consolidation taking place here and praised the "breathtaking" facilities built at Harmony Church to accommodate troops moving in from Fort Knox, Ky.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - Resiliency. The word has crept its way into our military vocabulary and everyone is using it, from top Army leadership to the squad leader. There are five areas where resiliency applies - family, social, physical, spiritual and emotional. All of this falls under the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program.

More than 300 Soldiers from across the Army descended on Fort Benning, Ga., March 19-28, to take part in the 2011 U.S. Army Small Arms Championship, the preeminent marksmanship training and competition event the military has to offer.

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala.--The message came across loud and clear - unmanned aircraft systems are here to stay in the Department of Defense's joint forces fleet.
From keynote presenter Dr. Steve Messervy of the Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command to Navy Capt. Gregory McGuire of the Joint Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence, the speakers at the Pathfinder Symposium sponsored by Pathfinder Chapter of the Association of Unmanned Systems International at the Von Braun Center on March 16-17 reviewed technologies and new initiatives that will grow the role of unmanned aircraft systems across the services. The theme of the symposium was Unmanned Systems - A Roadmap to the Future.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - For the first time since its inception in 2005, the U.S. Army Combatives Tournament will be staged somewhere other than Fort Benning. This year's installment is headed to Fort Hood, Texas, which was given the opportunity to host after III Corps won the Lacerda Cup here last fall as team champion. The 2011 All-Army showdown is set for July 20-23.

The Army's Green to Gold program provides eligible active-duty Soldiers an opportunity to complete a baccalaureate or graduate degree and be commissioned as officers. There are three application routes for both undergraduate and graduate degree programs at more than 270 colleges and universities around the country.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - Senior leaders from around the Army will gather here early next month for the 2011 Maneuver Center of Excellence Reconnaissance Summit. The conference makes its Fort Benning debut April 6-8 at Harmony Church, the Armor School's new home.

The Army's official website for the 2011 Best Ranger Competition launched Friday. The unveiled site at www.army.mil/ranger is the one-stop shop for information about the competition, which is April 15-17.

Under lock and key, Best Ranger Competition events remain elusively secret until the last possible moment prior to the three-day competition. Even the order of events is closely guarded. However, some events have become a fixture over the years. The following are a handful of popular viewer-friendly events from previous years.

Coalition forces enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya to halt the slaughter of citizens by Moammar Gadhafi "have gone to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today.

Soldiers from the state of Minnesota were a dominating presence at the fourth annual Army National Guard Combatives Tournament March 19 and 20, where they took four first-place titles in addition to walking away with the overall team award.

According to a study released earlier this month by the Military Leadership Diversity Commission, women account for only 16 percent of leadership positions in the military - a seemingly staggering statistic to release during National Women's History Month. The numbers aren't so shocking when compared to the overall statistic of women serving in the military, which is 16.4 percent, according to a Sept. 30 report released by the Department of Defense.

Fort Monroe, Va. - General Martin E. Dempsey, commanding general, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, will depart here Monday to become Chief of Staff, Army, at the Pentagon during an 11 a.m. ceremony in Continental Park hosted by Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., the current Chief of Staff, Army. Gen. Dempsey has commanded TRADOC since December 2008, and was confirmed by the United States Senate during a vote March 16 to become the next CSA. Gen. Casey has been CSA since April 2007.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - An Armor School need turned into a chance for the 11th Engineer Battalion to train - and the endeavor paid dividends for both. The 63rd Engineer Company's Construction Platoon has built two tank display pads along Benning Boulevard at what's set to become an entrance to the future Armor and Cavalry Museum.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - Two Soldiers from the platoon depicted in Restrepo delivered some motivation to a basic training unit in its fourth week on Sand Hill. Staff Sgts. Elliott Alcantara and Teodoro Buno, who appeared in the Oscar-nominated documentary, spoke to A Company, 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, during its Warrior Ethos class March 8.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - What does a Soldier do' Hundreds of businessmen, educators, academic leaders and students from across the country got an up-close look Thursday, converging on Fort Benning for a day of activities centered on teaching the public about the military.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- I often say you can read about history or make history. This year, the voices of Soldiers, Civilians and Families that have contributed to the Army Family Action Plan process were heard and history was made at the recent AFAP General Officer Steering Committee held the first week of February.

Picatinny recently received a patent for a realistic video game that simulates combat environments and uses the same controls as actual robots to safely train Soldiers how to detonate improvised explosive devices.

COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Army Center for Enhanced Performance wants Soldiers, leaders and basic trainees to build strong minds and bodies by tapping into the science behind an Olympic training model, the organization's director said Thursday.

Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division communicated via voice, data and images as they swarmed a mock village to capture a high value target. Information traveled rapidly up and down the chain of command through a cutting-edge combination of smartphones plugged into tactical radios.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - Did you win a lottery in the United Kingdom even though you live in the United States' Receive an e-mail offering a get-rich-quick scheme' Or maybe you received an e-mail asking to log in to a merchant or bank site and update your account information.

The number of Ranger School instructors has grown from a "critical" deficit of 60 percent in September to 80 percent, with the number expected to grow in the next few months, officials at the Ranger Training Brigade reported.

The family of a New Jersey World War II-era veteran received a posthumous Bronze Star commending the heroic actions of their loved one, Technician Fifth Grade John F. Morgan Jr., nearly 70 years after his heroic action in World War II.